The Maya Civilization

By: Amineh, Ian, Jeff, & Shivram

Table of Contents

• Government

• Religion

• Agriculture

• Cultural & Scientific Contributions

• Location

• Bibliography

Government

• The Mayan government was a monarchy. But there was no one ruler; There were emperors that governed each city-state

• Mayan chiefs were called bataboobs. Emperors were in the main seat of power. Priests were also regarded with much respect.

.A depiction of a Mayan city-state

Religion

• They were polytheistic; they worshiped the elements, thus creating a god for each element. Some gods were the god of corn (Yun Kaax) and the god of rainbows (Ix Chel).

• The Mayans made sacrificial offerings to the gods and had brutal punishments for prisoners.

An ancient Mayan temple

One of the gods of the Mayan religion

Agriculture• Corn, called maize, was

the most important crop. Others were beans, papaya, watermelon, chilies, squash, sweet potatoes, and cotton

• They trained dogs to help hunt

• Other practices are hunting, honey-collecting, and building canals for irrigation

Corn, or maize was the Mayan’s main crop

Cultural & Scientific Contributions

• The Mayan contributions to culture were music, architecture (temples, pyramids), crafting, goldsmith, and most importantly, writing

• The Mayan people made herbal medicines, and discovered the first 365 - day calendar

This is the Mayan calendar.

Location

• Near the Gulf of Mexico

• The Maya were located primarily in Mexico, but were also found in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize

Bibliography

• Nicholson, Robert. The Maya. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994.

• George, Charles, and Linda George. Life During the Great Civilizations: The Maya. Cleveland, OH: Thomson Gale, 2004.

• Trout, Lawana Hooper. The Maya. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1991.

• Macdonald, Fiona. Step Into The...Aztec & Maya Worlds. Vancouver: Lorenz Books, 1998.

• Sherrow, Victoria. The Maya Indians. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994.